Prawn Vindaloo

Namaste,

Prawn vindaloo is one of popular dish in certain Indian restaurant and I remember I order prawn vindaloo everytime we go out for Indian cuisine when I was working in Laos few years back. That was a great moment and I am glad that I had such a great experience living in another foreign country for an extended period of time.

Now, ever since I moved here, I realized that I didn't have a chance to eat more Indian cuisine as much as I did before. Here, even though we had been to Indian restaurant quite some time and enjoyed the food but they are just not the same anyway.

Therefore, whenever I crave for Indian food, I will do home-style Indian cooking at home. Prawn vindaloo is one of that dish and this recipe I found from pinterest.

PRAWN VINDALOO

Ingredients;

300g prawns, with or without shelled
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves
1 sprig curry leaves
2 tomatoes, chopped
4-6 dried red chillies, soak in hot water
4 cloves garlic
2cm ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon blackpepper powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons white vinegar
Salt and sugar to taste

METHOD;

- In a blender or food processor, blend together tomatoes, dried chillies, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cumin, blackpepper and turmeric into a smooth paste. Set aside.
- Heat oil, about 4 tablespoon in a saucepan and fry onion and cloves until fragrant and brown colour.
- Add curry leaves and tomato chilli paste, fry for a couple of minutes.
- Add a cup of water and let it simmer, cook for another 5-6 minutes.
- Add vinegar, salt and sugar, mix well.
- Lastly add in prawns and cook until the prawns are well cooked.
- Serve with naan bread or rice.

Bon appétit!

Cinnamon Walnut Cake

Bonjour,

Summer holiday has come to an end for the kids and all the school have been start the class few days ago. However, everyone have a different holiday and certain people would take their holiday while the others begins to work. We are still in the summer season though, but the weather this week is unpredictable and we are prepared for cold and rainy spells any time of the day.

Last Monday, I've made a cake with the recipe I've found from pinterest and decided to make a cinnamon walnut cake since I have all the ingredients in my pantry. The cake was great and delicious with the taste of cinnamon sugar crumbs in the middle and on the top.

CINNAMON WALNUT CAKE

Ingredients;

115g salted butter, soften
180g sugar
2 eggs
240g flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
300g sour cream
1 teaspoon vanila extract

Cinnamon sugar topping
35g sugar
35g brown sugar
11/2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
1 cup walnuts, chopped

METHOD;

- Preheat oven 180° and prepare baking pan.
- Mix all the cinnamon sugar topping ingredients and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add in vanila extract and egg, one at a time and beating well.
- Add half of flour and baking powder mixture alternately with sour cream and blending well after each addition.
- Pour half of the batter into prepared baking pan and sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar topping.
- Pour the remaining batter on top, spread evenly and sprinkle the rest of cinnamon topping on top.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean.

Happy baking!

Nasi Lemak

Hello,

Nasi lemak or coconut milk rice is one of the Malaysian's or Singaporean's favourite dishes, and most of the time people having nasi lemak for breakfast. The basic nasi lemak should have the condiments of sambal chillies, anchovies, peanuts, cucumber and hard boiled egg. But nasi lemak also can served with an additional of fried chicken, fish, prawns etc...

We had nasi lemak for breakfast with friends not long ago and for the first time I guess, they having a spicy food in the morning. Introducing them to the taste of nasi lemak was something that I wanted to do to all my friends here and I suppose they enjoy to discover the new dish. I've made nasi lemak at least once every two or three months.

NASI LEMAK

Ingredients:

For coconut rice;

2 cups rice, Thai or Basmati rice
3 cups coconut milk
2cm ginger, crushed
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 shallot, sliced
Salt to taste

For sambal chilli;

2 onion, sliced
10-15 dry chilli, soaked in hot water until soft
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2cm ginger, sliced
2 tablespoon tamarind, add 1/2 cup water to make a paste
Palm sugar or brown sugar
1/2 cup oil
Salt to taste

METHOD:

To prepare the coconut rice:
- Wash and clean the rice and put it in a pot or rice cooker.
- Add coconut milk, ginger, garlic, shallot and salt.
- Cover and bring to boil and then simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the water has been absorbed. If using the rice cooker, just press the button and let it cook itself.
- Removed from heat and loosen rice with chopstick or wooden spoon.
- Cover up and allow rice to cook in its own.

To prepare the sambal chilli:
- Using a blender or food processor, blend onion, chilli, garlic and ginger into fine paste.
- Heat oil in a saucepan, over meduim heat and sauté blend ingredients for a 5-10 minutes.
- Add sugar and tamarind paste and allow to cook for another 15-20 minutes or until the sauce is slightly thick.
- Season with salt and stir a while, remove from the heat.
- Add fried anchovies as individual preference.
- Dish a serving portion and serve the coconut rice with sambal and other condiments like fried anchovies, fried peanuts, hard boiled egg or fried egg and cucumber.

Bon appétit!

Plain Scones

Hello,

Scones are perfect snack during tea time or brunch and traditionally scone served with jam and clotted cream or butter. Plain scone are easy to make and it can be done in less than 30 minutes. Generally the scones are best eaten the same day they are baked. Scones also are quite healthy snacks, a bit lower in fat and calories, a great snacks indeed!

Sometimes, if I have no idea what to do or bake for a teatime, scone is one of the solution because they are quick and easy to prepare with just a few basic ingredients that we usually have at home. They are perfect snack, simple and delicious.

PLAIN SCONES

Ingredients;

250g flour,
4 teaspoons baking powder
50g salted butter
25g sugar
125ml milk.

METHOD;

- Preheat oven 220° and prepare baking pan.
- Sift flour and baking powder, add sugar and rub in butter until resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add the milk and mix until the dough come together, do not over mix.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out about 1.25cm and cut out using a round cutter.
- Arrange on the prepared pan and brush the scones with milk.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes or until well risen and golden brown.
- Remove from oven and serve warm with jam, butter or cream.

Happy baking!

Shell Out At Home

Salut,

Shell out literally a bucket of seafood dumped on the table for everyone to enjoy and this kind of seafood meal popular in Malaysia since few years ago. Shell out is a new way to eat out in the restaurant, served the variety of seafood on the table with a plastic tablecloth and eating with hand without using any fork or spoon. Nowadays, there are many shell out restaurant open due to popular demand and in fact people like this new concepts of eating.

We had a shell out dinner with friends last few days and to be honest, we didn't expect that our friends could enjoy the dinner because the concept of eating with hand is something new for them. Surprisingly, it was an exceptional dinner and they really enjoying the meal, they loved the variety of seafood, the sauce and the butter rice.

One thing for sure, we would do more shell out at home in the future but this is also depend on the seafood season and what we can get in the market. This shell out recipe source from masam manis blogspot, one of my favourite cooking blog.

SHELL OUT

(Recipe for 4 persons)

Ingredients;

500g mussels
500g assorted clams
500g prawns/crabs
4 potatoes
1 brocolli

For the sauce
A:
2 shallot, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2cm ginger, sliced
1 sprig curry leaves, optional

B:
2 onion
2 shallot
2 cloves garlic
2cm ginger
10-12 dry chilli, soak in hot water

Seasoning:
2 tablespoon curry powder
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 chicken/vegetables cube
Salt, pepper and sugar to taste

METHOD;

- Boil all the seafood until just cooked, set aside.
- Boil the potatoes and brocolli until tender, set aside.
- Blend all the B ingredient into a fine paste, set aside.
- Heat some oil and a little bit butter in a large saucepan or wok and fry A ingredients until fragrant.
- Add blended ingredients and cook for a few minutes over medium low heat or until the sauce are slightly dry.
- Add curry powder and cook for a few seconds.
- Add oyster sauce, fish sauce and season with salt, pepper and sugar. Add a little water and cook for another minutes.
- Add in boiled seafood and stir until all seafood evenly coated.
- Serve in a large oval plate or direct on the table with a plastic tablecloth.
- Put the boiled potatoes and brocolli all over the seafood.
- Serve with butter rice.

BUTTER RICE

Ingredients;

2 cups Thai rice
2 cups water
1 carrot, cut into small cube
4 tablespoons salted butter

METHOD;

- Wash the rice and put in the rice cooker or saucepan.
- Add water, carrot and butter, press the rice cooker and let it cook itself.
- If cooking without rice cooker, bring it to boil and simmer for 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked.

Enjoy the shell out!